A ssignob to the



(N0 Modem V J. L.'WELLS.

BUSTLE.

N0. 358,712. 7 Patented Mar. 1,1887.

WITN EE EE \NVENTEIFQ M/ZM v JOSEPH L. WELLS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, "ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTON & WELLS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, N. J.

BUSTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters i atent No. 358,712, dated March 1, 1887.

Application filed November 8, 1886. Serial No, 218,318.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'JosEPH L. WELLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bustles; and

I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

reference being had to the accompanying draw- IO ing, which forms part of this specification, in

which the figure is a perspective, partly broken away, of a bustle wit-h my improvements applied thereto.

My invention has reference to bustles, and

has for its object to provide a covering for the same, which will serve to protect garments worn adjacent to the bustle from being soiled by contact with the latter, said covering being elastic, so as to contract and expand with the bustle, and open, so as not to interfere with the free circulation of air through the latter.

My invention consists in the combination, with the body of a bustle made of braided material, of a braided, knitted, or opcn-work textile covering therefor, constructed and applied substantially as hereinafter set forth.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, A represents a bustle, the body of which, B, is shown as composed of braided wire, and which has a waistband, C.

The braided wire composing the body of the bustle is liable to soil garments with which it may contact, and particularly white garments constituting underwear. To prevent such soi1- ing I provide the body B with a covering, D. Said covering is of textile material and of open-work character, and is preferably cotton knitted with open loops, so as to have considerable elasticity and to permit the free circulation of air through it; but braided fabrics of any suitable material may constitute the covering, provided that they possess the essentials of elasticity and openness.

The covering D is applied to the body B before the waistband is attached to the latter, and is fastened to said body at its ends by means of stitching through the tapes E E, which form the coverings for said ends and so the media for connection with. said waistband,

be employed.

(No model.)

said tapes being folded over the covering outside the ends of the latter, and held in place by stitching or other equivalent fastening; or any other suitable fastening for the cover may The covering described prevents contact of the wire of the bustle when in use with adjacent garments, and so avoids the soiling of the latter by such contact. Said covering, being of an elastic nature, adapts itself to the contour 6o of the bustle, and does not interfere with the contraction or expansion, compression, or fiexion of the latter, but, on the contrary,

it conforms to or follows the changes in shape of the body. Being open-work, it does not 5 impede the free circulation of air through the bustle-body, so that the latter remains, as heretofore, cool and healthful. The covering described improves the appearance of the article and enhances its attractiveness.

I have shown and described the covering as applied to a braided-wire bustle; but I do not confine my claim thereto, as the covering may be used on a bustle-body of woven wire or wire otherwise constructed or adapted to form a bustle-body; nor is my improvement confined to a wire bustle, as the covering described may be applied to a bustle the body of which is material other than wire.

Vhat I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination, with the body of a bustle made of braided or woven material, of a covering therefor of knitted, braided, or other elastic open-work textile material, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the body B of a bustle made of braided or woven material, of a covering, D, therefor, said covering being composed of knitted, braided, or elastic openwork textile material fastened to said body at each end of the latter, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with the waistband O and body 13 of a bustle made of braided or woven material and tapes E E, which form en'd connections therefor, of an elastic openwork textile covering for said body, having its ends fastened to the ends of the latter beneath the tapes, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, with a braided body, In testimony that I claim the foregoing I B, of a bustle, of an elastic open-work covcrhave hereunto set my hand this 28th day of ing therefor, substantially as shown and de- October, 1886. scribed. l 5 5; The combination, with abustle made of JOSEPH L. \VELLS.

braided or woven material, the body of which 1 is composed essentially or mainly of naked \Vitnesses: wire, of a textile elastic covering ofbraided, WILL H. POWELL, knitted, or equivalent open-work material, R. DALE SPARHAWK. 10 substantially as shown and described. 

